Oculus secures U.S. patent for skin ulcer technologyOculus Innovative Sciences has received a U.S. patent for its Microcyn Technology to be used in treating patients with skin ulcers. The technology is administered to skin ulcers either by irrigation, soaking and washing, or by applying a wound dressing that has been soaked with the technology. MedCityNews.com
(12/27)

Funding round brings in $12M for GoBaltoA Series B financing round headed by the Economic Development Board Investments in Singapore has pulled in $12 million for GoBalto. The San Francisco startup is focused on providing cloud-based solutions to aid medical device, drug and biotechnology firms in conducting clinical studies. TheNextWeb.com
(12/27)

Svelte Medical begins heart stent trial in EuropeSvelte Medical Systems said its Svelte Acrobat Integrated Delivery System has been implanted in the first patient participating in a study to compare the technology with traditional coronary stent devices in treating lesions in patients whose conditions make them able to receive direct stenting. The trial will involve as many as 300 patients from 12 clinical sites in Spain, Belgium and France. MassDevice.com (Boston)
(12/26)

MRI can identify Alzheimer's disease noninvasivelyThe brain scans of 185 patients who had been diagnosed through lumbar punctures as having either Alzheimer's disease or frontotemporal lobar degeneration were analyzed by University of Pennsylvania researchers who found that the MRI scans can distinguish between the two forms of dementia with a similar accuracy rate to the lumbar puncture. The study, published in the journal Neurology, found that structural brain patterns that show up on MRI scans can help doctors make the correct diagnosis about 75% of the time, making the MRI a useful tool in differentiating between the two forms of dementia, which have similar symptoms. MedicalDaily.com
(12/27)

CorrectionA headline in a news item on Thursday incorrectly stated the number of nations that signed a statement of cooperation to develop the Medical Device Single Audit Program. Regulators for the U.S. and three other nations signed the statement. SmartBrief regrets the error.

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